New Zoning Bylaw to Increase Housing Options in Cumberland
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Cumberland has a new Zoning Bylaw that implements the new Official Community Plan and responds to the Province’s direction to broadly allow for small scale multi-unit housing. Council’s adoption of the Zoning Bylaw follows a public engagement process that began in 2025.
“Cumberland’s new Zoning Bylaw is a significant achievement,” says Mayor Vickey Brown. “I want to thank everyone who contributed their time and feedback to this process; from residents and volunteers on our advisory bodies to local builders and developers. Your input helped shape a bylaw that reflects the needs and priorities of our community while ensuring the Village complies with current housing legislation. Implementing the Province’s new housing requirements in our small community was complex, especially under a tight timeline. Village staff worked incredibly hard to redesign the zoning bylaw to make it more user-friendly, clearer, and easier to understand. Additionally, the pre-zoning of most single-residential lots for up to four units allows property owners and builders to proceed directly to building permit without additional approvals, which helps us respond to housing shortages while making the development process more efficient.”
A Zoning Bylaw regulates the use of land, buildings, and other structures in a community. The bylaw divides land into different areas, called zones, which can include residential, commercial, and industrial areas, and defines a set of rules for each. Zoning bylaws regulate several items, including:
• Use of land, buildings, and other structures
• Density, or the number of homes that can be built on a property
• Minimum and maximum parcel sizes
• Siting of buildings and structures, including height and setbacks from property lines
• Parking requirements for different types of uses, such as restaurants or apartments
The new Zoning Bylaw is also meant to be more user-friendly with a streamlined format that includes convenient cross-referenced links throughout the document.
The new Zoning Bylaw No. 1238 is available at cumberland.ca/zoning-bylaw/. For more information about the planning process that led up to the adoption of the Zoning Bylaw, visit engagecomoxvalley.ca/zoning-bylaw-update.
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